Dehydrator for refrigerators



' July 3, 1934. r R E, GRAY 1,965,461

DEHYDRATOR FOR REFRIGERATRS Filed Feb. l0, 1935 gmc/Whom @htm/mag Patented July 3, 1934 1,965,461 nEHYnRA'roa Foa nEFmcEaA'roas Richard E. Gray, Jackson, Tenn., assigner to Piggly Wiggly Corporation, Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Appucation February 1o', 1933, serial No. 656,182

1 Claim.

Display refrigerators usually are provided with two glass panels having an air space between them to provide insulation, the glass panel providing for a display of the contents of the refrigerator.

5 In cabinets of this kind moisture in the air between the plates of glass condenses on the surfaces of the coldest pane thus clouding the glass to such an extent as to valect the visibility of the articles on display. My invention relates to means for removing the water vapor from the air in the chamber or which may find its way into the chamber.

A further object is to provide a device for this purpose which-may be easily removed from the cabinet to change the moisture absorbing material.

It is further desirable that this dehydrator be located so as to be conveniently removed and yet be out of sight when installedin the walls of the refrigerator.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, which is made a part hereof and on which similar reference characters indicate similar parts,

Figure 1 is a front view in elevation of a portion of a refrigerator cabinet having my device installed therein,

Figure 2, a section on lineA 2-2 of Figure 1, and Figure 3, an enlarged detail partly in section showing the dehydrator in position.

The refrigerator lcabinet may have outer and inner walls 10 and 11 having insulating material 12 between them. The front of the cabinet has =front and back glass panels 13 and 14 having an air space 15 between them. Positioned between the inner and outer walls 10 and ,1, 1 is a tube 16 which may be embedded in and secured in place by the insulating material 12. The tube 16 is closed at its lower end by a plate 17 making the lower end of the tube air-tight, the upper end of the tube is provided with a removable cap 18 which in operation provides a tight seal to the top of the tube. Small tubes 19 and 20 connect the lower and upper portions of the tube 16 with the air space 15. Removably. positioned within the tube 16 is a perforated tube 21 which is filled with a suitable dehydrator 22. The tube 21 is provided with some means 23 by means of which it may be lifted out of the tube 16 by removing the cap 18.

In operation moisture laden air in the space 16 passes through the tubes 19 and 20 into the space 24 between the outside of the tube-21 and the inner walls of the tube 16.- This air comes in vcontact with the dehydrating material 22 through perforations 25 in the the space 15.

tube 21. The

moisture from the air is removed by the dehydrator.l Removal of the moisture creates a dif' .ference in pressure between the moisture laden air of the chamber 15 and that in the chamber 24. rIhis differential pressure will result in continually moving the air containing moisture from the tubes y19 and 20 until the air in chamber 15 is as dry as that in chamber 24. The operation will be continuous. As air leaks into the chamber 15 or as moisture leaks into the air 65 in the chamber this moisture will be removed by the dehydrator. The dehydrator 22 will not be used up except as it removes moisture from In the course of time, however, it will be necessary to supply new dehydrating 'I0 material, or the used dehydrator material renewed through a process recommended by the manufacturers. This may be done by removing the` tube 21 and removing the material 22 therefrom, and/or renewing the used dehydrator ma; terial without removing the tube. The tube 16 is positioned within the'walls of the refrigerator cabinet so as to be invisible. The top of the cabinet may be provided with an opening which is' closed by a plate 26 whichmay be removed tol/80 lift the tube 21 out of tube 16.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art y that various changes may be lmade in my device vwithout departing from the spirit of the inven tion andv therefore I do not limit myself to what is shown in the drawing and described in the specification, but only as indicated by the appended claim.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

In a refrigerator cabinet having spaced glass plates therein providing a dead air space between them, spaced walls forming a frame for supporting said plates in spaced relation, a tube positioned in said frame parallel to the edges of said plates, said frame having an opening in alignment with said tube, a removable plate for closing said opening, said tube having conduits l communicating with the space between said plates at the top and bottom thereof, a removable cap positioned on said tube and a perforated tube having dehydrating-material therein insertable through said opening in the frame into said tube, substantially as set forth. v

` RICHARD E. GRAY. 

